1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: Life audio. Many of us feel like we are constantly 2 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: pouring out and also like there is not much pouring 3 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: back into us. Yes, there are many needs around us, 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: emails to answer, decisions to be made, and conversations that 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: need to be tended, and somewhere along the way you 6 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: start to feel worn thin. Well, Hi there, I'm jem 7 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: Paddling and this is the Unheard Living podcast where we 8 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: inspire you to rest deeper, live fuller, and lead better. 9 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: Today we're talking about being reservoir type people. A person 10 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: who knows how to fill up without the detrimental pattern 11 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: of pouring out the last drop from an ever emptying cup. 12 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 1: After a word from our sponsor, will dive into our 13 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: conversation for today, we're listening to this podcast. I'd love 14 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: for you to follow us, and if you're watching us 15 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: on YouTube, please subscribe. It's all free and it helps 16 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: Unharried Living be discovered by more people. Thanks so much. 17 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: Now Here at Unheard Living, we like to think of 18 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: every person as a leader, not just those with titles 19 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 1: or platforms. But every person is a person of influence. 20 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: But what enriches that influence, what gives it depth and 21 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: staying power. Some of you might know that Alan grew 22 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: up going to a man made lake near Sacramento. It 23 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: had once been a river flowing through a valley, but 24 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: after a dam was built, it became a reservoir, capable 25 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: of holding three hundred billion gallons of water. That reservoir 26 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: now blesses the entire surrounding community. That image has stayed 27 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: with us because leadership at its best looks like being 28 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: a reservoir. And Bernard of Clervaux, a twelfth century French abbot, 29 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: said something about this that I returned to often. Here's 30 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: what he wrote. The one who is wise will see 31 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: his life as more like a reservoir than a canal. 32 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: The canal simultaneously pours out what it receives. The reservoir 33 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: retains the water till it is filled, then discharges the 34 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: overflow without loss to itself. Today there are many in 35 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: the church who act like canals. The reservoirs are far 36 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,359 Speaker 1: too rare. You too, must learn to await this fullness 37 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: before pouring out your gifts. Do not try to be 38 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: more generous than God. Now that last line stops me 39 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: every time. Do not try to be more generous than God. 40 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: Let's unpack that now in the canal life. A canal 41 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: pours out as fast as it receives. It has no depth, 42 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: no holding capacity. It lives in constant motion. And if 43 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:52,519 Speaker 1: we're honest, much of modern leadership rewards canal behavior, always available, responding, 44 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: always producing. It's easy to confuse busyness with fruitfulness. But 45 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: the thing about canals is that they can eventually run dry. 46 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: And what happens when a leader runs dry Resentment fatigue 47 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: might creep in, and joy all that disappears. It becomes 48 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: possible to keep serving, but not from abounding love. It 49 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: might come from emptiness. Now, this is not a healthy 50 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: vision or application of spiritual leadership, and it's not the 51 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 1: model of Jesus. Luke five tells us the news about him. 52 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: Jesus spread all the more crowds of people came to 53 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: hear him and to be healed, but Jesus often withdrew 54 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 1: to lonely places to pray. Now, notice the contrast. Crowds, 55 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: demand and needs increased, but Jesus often withdrew right in 56 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: the middle of the busyness. Jesus paused to retreat and 57 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 1: to pray. These were likely the times where he heard 58 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: from the Father John five nineteen and twenty says this. 59 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: Jesus gave them this answer very truly. I tell you, 60 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: the son can do nothing by himself. He can only 61 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: do what he sees his father doing. Because whatever the 62 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: father does, the son also does, for the father loves 63 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: the son and shows him all he does. Now, Jesus 64 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: had a fuller plate than you and I will ever have, 65 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: and yet he didn't live reactively. His hidden moments with 66 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: the Father were not optional for Jesus. They were essential 67 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: to his life and ministry, and those were his reservoir times. 68 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 1: In those spaces, he listened to the loving voice of 69 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:39,600 Speaker 1: the Father, He rested in the loving presence of the Father. 70 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: He remembered who he was. Jesus didn't minister out of pressure. 71 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: He ministered out of overflow, and we can learn to 72 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 1: do the same. So how do we follow Jesus in 73 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 1: this reservoir dynamic. Well, first we can believe that filling 74 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 1: proceeds pouring. You can't sustainably give of what you haven't received. Second, 75 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: we can trust the time with God is not indulgent, 76 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: it is necessary informative. When you step away to pray, 77 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: to sit quietly to receive love from the Father, you're 78 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: not abandoning your responsibilities, you're actually strengthening them. Reservoir leadership, Yes, sure, 79 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: it is slower because it waits for fullness. It doesn't 80 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: rush generosity ahead of grace, and it understands that influence 81 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: rooted in love is far more powerful than influence rooted 82 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: in urgency. So again, what does a reservoir do well. 83 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: It stores abundance, It holds water long enough for depth 84 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: to form, It allows the sediment to settle. It releases 85 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: the overflow without loss to itself. That phrase is so 86 00:05:54,279 --> 00:06:00,239 Speaker 1: important without loss to itself. Imagine blessing others with out 87 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:05,159 Speaker 1: becoming depleted, serving without bitterness, or leading without exhaustion. This 88 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 1: doesn't mean we never get tired. Of course, we get tired. 89 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: It just means that we're not chronically empty. A reservoir 90 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: leader receives olds and treasures what God is pouring in. 91 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: Any number of spiritual practices and life giving engagements can 92 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: help fill you. Think into that which makes you feel alive, joyful, rested, 93 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 1: or present, and get those things on your calendar. Well, 94 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:35,280 Speaker 1: let me help you out even a little bit more. Here. 95 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: I'm going to give you three ideas for action steps 96 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: you can always come up with your own. But here's 97 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,159 Speaker 1: some ideas. If you want to move from canal living 98 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,599 Speaker 1: to reservoir leadership, there are some ideas. Number One, schedule 99 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: refilling time before you desperately need it. Remember it says 100 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: Jesus often Withdrew, not occasionally. Put time with God on 101 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: your calendar before chrisis forces it. There, Even twenty minutes 102 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: of intentionality and quiet can begin to deepen your reservoir. 103 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: Number two, receive before you respond, and let's make it 104 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: super practical. How about this before answering an email or 105 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: going into a meeting or making a decision, just pause, 106 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: Remember God is with you right here and right now, 107 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: and then enter into that next moment in a spirit 108 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: of grace received. This shifts you from reactive canal to 109 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: a tent of reservoir. And then three, measure fullness and 110 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: not just output. At the end of the day, you 111 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: can ask yourself, how was I filled today? How did 112 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: I receive love? How did I operate from overflow? Let 113 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: fullness become part of your leadership assessment. We use all 114 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: types of quantitative data points to show whether the day 115 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: was a success, But what if we shifted to a 116 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: more qualitative measure grace? Love and overflow. You are a 117 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: person of influence, but influence without depth is fragile. As 118 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: Bernard of Clervau so eloquently shared, the world does not 119 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: need more canals. It needs reservoirs. Men and women who 120 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: are quietly filled with the love of God, people who 121 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: await fullness before pouring out, People who are not trying 122 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: to be more generous than God. What if your leadership 123 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: this year was marked not by increased output, but by 124 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: increased love and depth. You may discover that the overflow 125 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: blesses far more people than frantic effort ever could. Blessings 126 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: to you as you make your way. Thank you for 127 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: joining me on the unhead Living podcast. You can download 128 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 1: free resources and learn more about us at Unhurried Living 129 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: dot com, and please subscribe and share this podcast with 130 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: your friends and colleagues. We'd also like to thank our 131 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: partner Life Audio. Check out their other faith centered podcasts 132 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: at Life Life Audio dot com. Blessings to you as 133 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 1: you make your way.